Dancing on the Loom

Teotitlan del Valle is a weaving village about 30 minutes outside of Oaxaca.This village of weavers are known worldwide for their wool rugs.It is here that I took a four day intensive weaving and dyeing workshop with the Chavez Santiago family- four generations of weavers.
This workshop was arranged by a dynamic woman named Norma Hawthorne who is dedicated to preserving the weaving and dyeing traditions here. I had the fortunate opportunity to meet Norma during the first two days of my "Dancing on the Loom" workshop. She has an incredibly informative website : www.oaxacaculture.wordpress.com.- please check it out!
The Chavez taller (workshop) is in their home which creates a very welcome working environment.The day started with breakfast with the family, my maestros (teachers): father Federico,mother Dolores, daughter Janet and youngest son, Omar.The eldest son, Eric, now works for the new Museo Textil de Oaxaca. My 14 year old son, Sebastian, came along and learned yarn spinning from Omar, the family's 14 year old son who has been weaving since he was 8 years old.
Federico showed my their "showroom" of rugs that their family had woven.ALL rugs are 100% wool, all yarns have been colored with natural dyes.There is a range of work from the traditional designs (frets,snails-the Chavez"signature") to the more contemporary fusions(lizards,yin/yang symbols)-ALL exquisite.All of these rugs are woven on two harness,standing foot pedal looms- even the looms themselves are hand made!
We then went up to the second floor or what I called "Heaven"- here are skeins and skeins of the most incredible colored yarns that I had to choose from to create my rug-AMAZING!
After much playing with color and texture, my final choices were put in a canasta (basket) to take to the loom.Although I have taught textiles for twenty years, I have never had this experience of weaving on a loom.After seeing the family's work, I was a bit nervous, to say the least.However, everyone was so patient and kind, that I was able to relax and learn quite a bit.I do speak basic Spanish and when that failed,Janet, who is fluent in English, was quick to help me understand the instruction.
I first learned how to wind my own bobbin,which also included the proper way to set up and take off the large skeins of yarn.
We then went to the loom to discuss what I wanted to accomplish.Federico assured me that I could change my mind, change colors- to just love what I was using so that I could "weave from the heart".He warned me that I would go home and dream about my design(which I did!).
As the yarn is hand dyed and spun, there are variations in color and texture that bring another dimension to your work. It also means that you encounter knots and need to know the correct techniques to connect and continue the yarn.
As this was my first weaving attempt, I was focused more on theory and practice and working with color and texture instead of complicated design(out of my league).I was pleased with my first day's work that there was some visible progress on the loom.Federico assured me that I was a "very good student".
Our day ended with a lovely comida (main meal) with Norma and her husband,Stephen and the Chavez family.